On intolerance for free speech, it’s time for millennials to lead – Washington Examiner

Earlier this month, Americans came together to celebrate the founding of this nation with fireworks and sparklers.

Though the United States is still a relatively young country, it has undergone dramatic changes from what it once was in 1776. Not only have we drastically industrialized and expanded our landscape beyond the original 13 colonies, but our political culture and climate has also undergone its own transformations. Our Founding Fathers wisely prepared us for tackling tyrannical leaders, preventing government overreach, and protecting our personal liberty.

Yet, they failed to avoid the development of political echo chambers.

This is not to say these men had not anticipated the possibility of our country developing a divisive political culture. In fact, John Adams communicated his fears of our democracy splitting into a two-party system, "concerting measures in opposition of each other." He even went as far as to call this the "greatest political evil under our constitution."

It's not hard to see why Adams held such passionate distaste for political parties. Lately, our democracy has amounted to pointing fingers and name calling from the echo chambers we've created. But the effects of these biased bubbles pour into other aspects of life. According to a Rasmussen survey, 40 percent of voters claimed the 2016 election negatively affected a personal relationship with a friend or family member. We've even seen students escalate to violent protests on college campuses against classmates they disagree with.

With the power of technology, we can retreat into our echo chambers on social media platforms. We can delete, block, and report dissent away. It becomes easier and easier to control what messages and ideas we hear behind our screens. This encourages the idea that tolerance is optional. That you can cut off relationships because you disagree with the other person; furthermore, you can segregate people in groups based on said opinions.

Intolerance of differing ideas is not the way to achieve positive social change. Intolerance only begets negative outcomes.

At Young Americans for Liberty, we strive to foster a culture of tolerance and respect. Disagreement is inevitable; how one addresses disagreement and differing perspectives is the key to success. I discourage everyone to stray away from trying to belittle our philosophical opponents on social media, that ultimately create opposing echo chambers and do not yield a positive result.

The message of liberty is a positive one. We are driven to action grounded in the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and limited government.

Every July we host our national convention that draws hundreds of students from multiple political, economic, and social backgrounds to engage in these ideas. Given their varying backgrounds, these students are bound to disagree with one another on the nuances of liberty. We even stage debates between people of different beliefs who nonetheless believe in the same overarching principles. I assure you, the overall theme is siding with more freedom, and less government intervention.

So what's our plan to combat big-government ideology among youths? I can tell you this: When a socialist comes to campus to speak, you won't see YAL members burning the campus to the ground or throwing rocks through windows. Through robust, campus activism and outreach efforts, YAL members are working hard to present the ideas of liberty in a powerful, peaceful manner to win the hearts and minds of the next generation.

Cliff Maloney Jr. is president of Young Americans for Liberty, a non-profit, youth organization based in Arlington, Va., that boasts more than 900 college chapters across the country.

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On intolerance for free speech, it's time for millennials to lead - Washington Examiner